his fire going. The wilder of the horses
they tied to trees near by, but some of the older ones stood unhitched
with heads drooping in the chill morning air, as though unhappy, but
resigned to their fate. Moise, as usual, rewarded old gray Betsy, the
bell-mare, with a lump of sugar as she passed by. The others, with the
strange instinct of pack-horses to follow a leader, grouped themselves
near to the old white mare. The boys put the blankets over the backs
of some of the horses while waiting for Moise to finish his breakfast.

"Grub pile!" sung out Moise, after a while; and soon, in the damp
morning air, with white mist hanging over the low land about them,
they were eating their morning meal.

"Tea for breakfast," said Rob, smiling. "Well, I suppose it's all
right up here, but in our country we mostly have coffee."

"We'd have it here if we could get it good," said Uncle Dick; "but,
you see, we're a good ways from home, and coffee doesn't keep as well
as tea on the trail, besides being much bulkier."

"Now," said Jesse, his mouth full of bacon, "as soon as I get done
breakfast I'm going to try that diamond hitch all over again. Moise
says the one I did yesterday slipped on him."

"That's happened to many a good packer," said Uncle Dick. "Sometimes a
pack gets snagged in the bush, or all sorts of other things may happen
to it. They tell me that a mule will look at two trees and not try to
go between them if it sees the pack won't squeeze through, but with
some of these northern cayuses I think they try to see how many times
they can crowd through between trees and scrape off their packs. But
finish your breakfast, young men, and eat plenty, because we're going
to have a long trip to-day."

After they had finished breakfast Rob led up the big roan Billy, which
always went next to the gray lead-mare with the mare, and on which
they usually packed their blankets and small tent. Billy stood quite
calmly, but with his head and ears depressed, as though feeling very
sad.

"Ready with those blanket packs now, boys," called Uncle Dick; and
soon they had them alongside, each bed rolled in its canvas covering.

"Now up with the saddle, Rob."

Rob threw the sawbuck pack-saddle on top of the padded blanket.

"Cinch tight--that's half in packing, to have the saddle firm."

And, following Uncle Dick's instruction, Rob made the cinch as tight
as he could.

"Now get on the off side," said Uncle Dick; "and Jesse, you watc